October 16, 2008
International aerospace company to build C-27J Spartan planes
JACKSONVILLE – Governor Charlie Crist today witnessed the official signing of an agreement between Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton and executives from Alenia North America. In the agreement, Alenia North America committed to build a final assembly and delivery center for the C-27J Spartan cargo plane at Cecil Commerce Center.
The project received $1.9 million in state incentives, as well as economic incentives from the city and the Jacksonville Airport Authority (JAA). These combined incentives were vital to the site location decision-making process by helping to offset the costs of locating in Jacksonville and ensuring that the city was competitive among other locations under consideration.
“Economic development that leads to high-value, high-wage jobs is my number one mission, said Governor Crist. “By working with a worldwide leader like Alenia North American to facilitate their growth and expansion in Florida, we are accomplishing this mission.”
Alenia plans to add 300 new jobs to the local market. The company also expects to invest approximately $42 million in new, private capital for manufacturing equipment, technology, infrastructure and furniture, along with $65 million in construction costs. Overall, the project is expected to contribute more than $100 million in capital investments to Duval County’s tax base.
“The City of Jacksonville looks forward to having Alenia North America as a strong community partner and is eager to see the development and manufacturing of the C-27J Spartan planes at Cecil Commerce Center,” said Mayor Peyton. “I greatly appreciate Governor Crist, Enterprise Florida, the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, JEDC, JAA and Cornerstone for all of their assistance in helping to attract this international company to Jacksonville that will further aid in our development of two of our local target industries – aviation/aerospace and manufacturing.”
Giuseppe Giordo, president and chief executive officer of Alenia North America, said, “We are grateful to the City of Jacksonville and the State of Florida for supporting the establishment of a C-27J Final Assembly and Delivery Center at Cecil Commerce Center. With today’s signing of the Economic Development Agreement, we are officially committing to establishing this facility and look forward to becoming a full partner in the Jacksonville business community.”
“I worked hard with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to ensure full funding for this vital national security program in the recent Department of Defense spending bill. It was a tough fight, but in the end the needs of our men and women in uniform prevailed,” said Congressman Ander Crenshaw. “This announcement continues to solidify Jacksonville’s reputation as a military aviation center of excellence and I look forward to working with this team in Jacksonville and Washington.”
The U.S. Army and Air Force selected the C-27J Spartan for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program in 2007. The C-27J has a maximum payload of more than 25,000 pounds and can be configured for any mission: troops, medical evacuation, airdrop or cargo. The Joint Cargo Aircraft is central to the U.S. Army’s Aviation Modernization program, a restructure and revitalization of its aviation assets to reflect current and anticipated needs. The C-27J is the world leader in the twin engine military tactical aircraft market with 121 units sold worldwide. The C-27J Spartan is operated by Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and has been ordered by Romania.
Alenia North America is a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica and part of the Finmeccanica Group. Its mission is to further expand the industrial and commercial presence of the Alenia Group in North America. Alenia North America Inc. is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Seattle, Washington; Long Beach, California; and Fort Worth, Texas. Alenia North America – Canada, a subsidiary wholly owned by Alenia North America, has offices in Ottawa, Canada. Alenia North America is also a shareholder in several joint venture companies located in the United States. Global Aeronautica, a joint venture with The Boeing Company, located in North Charleston, South Carolina, and performs significant integration and sub assembly work for the Boeing 787 program. Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), a joint venture with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, is a center of excellence to support the C-27J in North America. GMAS is headquartered in Madison, Mississippi.
Contact: GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394
